Pieces
by sexysadiewhathaveyoudone
Summary: Set Post Eclipse. Bella runs away from Forks and the two men she loves only to return a year later in an attempt to pick up the pieces. Basically a Bella/Jacob story. How it should have been. I've upped the rating due to language.
1. The Homecoming

_**A/N: This is my first Twilight fic. It's set post Eclipse. Bella returns to Forks after running away from the two men that loved her. Will she be able to pick up the pieces she left? Basically a Bella/Jacob story. **_

_**P.s. I obviously don't own any of the characters.**_

Pieces

Chapter One

The wind whipped through my hair as I rolled down the window my truck. I couldn't tell you what truck it was, being unable to converse in the language of car, but this one went faster than my old one, quieter too. I kept my eyes on the endless stretch of road, reminding myself why I had chosen to return to Forks. The town became a part of me since I lay foot there and I was connected to the place, no matter how vehemently I attempted to deny it.

I would have never thought my life would have turned out this way when I moved in with my dad four years ago. I was caught up in a world far greater than my mind could previously ever comprehend and despite my attempts during the last twelve months to wipe my attachment to Forks, too much had transpired here for me to ever forget. My behaviour since I left was what some would call reckless, but considering the choices I was faced with, I hardly considered it so. Those choices. I had run away from them, hoping that someday they would pass like a fading dream. And yet here I was.

My hands felt like ice on the steering wheel, knuckles turning white. I looked into my side mirror. My usually pale face now looked gaunter than ever, my cheeks sunken in. Dark circles lay under my eyes. I wondered what Charlie would think when he saw me. Charlie. My stomach knotted at the thought of him. I had left with no warning, no note that night. I couldn't have told him about what was going on in my life. Those were not my secrets to tell.

He must have been heartbroken after he found me gone. I hadn't even bothered to let him know I was okay until I reached New York. A bunch of words scrawled on a scrap piece of paper was all he found in his mailbox. No contact details, no nothing. How could I tell him that the reason his daughter left home was because she was too scared to enter the world of the living dead, to get married to a vampire, to give up her friends and family all in the name of love? Of course, by then I was too strung out to care. I was experiencing thrills of a different nature.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. That life was behind me now. I was entering a new phase. I thought about my future. Here I was, coming back to Forks. But for what? I wanted to start over. New York had seemed like the perfect place. The big city where I could live out my dreams of being somebody who mattered. But I was quickly taken down a path of self destruction. Mixing with the wrong crowd. I rolled my eyes at the thought. Because vampires and werewolves were so much better. I spent countless nights seeking soaring highs but instead it was solid ground I craved inside. I needed stability. I needed security. I needed warmth.

Jacob. It was useless trying to convince myself that he wasn't a reason that I had chosen to return. Things between us had ended in a way which tore at my insides. Like my father, I had left him in the dark. My best friend. My personal sun. No doubt he would be beyond angry at me for taking off like that. I hoped to try and salvage the pieces of our broken friendship. If he would allow it. It was hell being unable to turn to anyone for comfort. I just hoped that he would take me back. I thought of La Push and the pack. Sam and Emily were probably married now. Quil, Embry, Jared, I had missed them all. I thought of my girl friend Angela Webber. I felt a strangled breath leave my lips. I was a terrible excuse for a human being. What would Edward say?

And there was Edward. Naturally I had made no contact with him either. I had let him know that I no longer wished to be with him, refusing to acknowledge the tears in his topaz eyes and his crumpled marble form as I walked out. I was a coward. I sighed. I had turned my back on all those who loved me purely for the reason that I was too weak to deal with my own actions.

After driving for what felt like hours, I looked up at the sign: You are now entering the town of Forks, Washington. I drank in the lush green foliage as I drove towards Charlie's house. His cruiser was in the driveway so he was home. I parked my truck and put on my rain jacket. I took a few deep breaths and stepped out of the vehicle, making sure not to slip in the patches of mud. My utter lack of coordination was one thing that hadn't changed. I heard the shuffling of footsteps coming towards the front door as I approached. I lifted my hand to knock but was met with a surprised glance.

"Bella?" Charlie whispered hoarsely. I took one look at his wide eyes and burst into tears.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want anything else?" I gripped the steaming cup of coffee in both my hands.

"No thanks dad." I stared down at the kitchen table as I felt salty tracks drying on my cheeks. We sat in silence for what felt like an hour.

"Bella we need to talk about this. I'm cancelling my shift." Charlie reached for the phone.

"Dad, don't cancel for my sake." I pleaded.

"I think I'm entitled to a break the day my only daughter decides to show up at my doorstep after a year don't you?" I winced as he spoke those words. "Bella... what happened? You know you can always tell me the truth. I know it's my fault our relationship has always been a bit distant..."

"Dad. It's not your fault. You've tried as much as you possibly could. I've been so ungrateful." I paused. "There are some things which I can't explain, like why I left."

"It was that Cullen wasn't it?" Charlie furrowed his brows. I knew it as soon as they left. It was a few weeks after you went missing." He added at my obvious expression of surprise. "I knew he was no good for you, I just didn't think that he'd have the nerve to do something like that."

"Dad, it wasn't his fault. I left on my own accord. I just couldn't bear to be here anymore. Being around him, I just couldn't handle it."

"So you left. No indication to anyone who might have cared about you." Charlie stated blankly. I didn't disagree with him. I knew he was right.

"It was better that you didn't know where I was. Trust me." I took a sip of coffee. "I needed some time to be on my own, get away from it all. I'm back now." I looked up at him. "If you'll have me."

Charlie sighed. "Of course Bells. I'm your father and this will always be your home." I smiled at him. "But you have to understand that not everyone will be as welcoming." I nodded. Of course they wouldn't. I was pathetic, asking for forgiveness that in their eyes, I clearly did not deserve. I ran my pale fingers over the handle of the coffee mug. "Your things are still in your room. If you're going to stay then you'll need a job. I'll ask around for you if you want."

"Thanks dad." I glanced at Charlie and smiled. A real smile. "Dad..." I faltered. "Is Jake um... still around?" Charlie let out a sigh.

"You better be careful about what you're doing Bella." He warned. "Perhaps you should give it at least a few days before you visit La Push." So he hadn't left.

"You see him often?" I asked hesitantly. Charlie nodded.

"He comes fishing with us sometimes. Bells I gotta tell you, he was awful quiet those first few months. Like a shadow of his usual self. He wouldn't speak to anyone for weeks." I felt a pang in my gut. "He was devastated when you left. I don't think he could take it if you were to leave again."

"I'm not going to leave again." I said resolutely.

"If you say so." Charlie replied. "You look like you could use a shower." I nodded. "Towels are upstairs."

* * *

I stood under the hot water, letting it beat against the muscles of my back. The Cullens had left. That was one less thing to deal with and honestly it was a little relieving. I had to go and talk to Jacob. I couldn't not know what was going to happen with us. The thought of having to face him made me squirm. It would be harder than facing Charlie had been. Jacob was the one person that I had no secrets from, he deserved so much more than any of the lies I that would have to tell the others. Jake was well... he had been my solid ground, my personal sun. He had mended the hole in my heart when Edward had left and I had loved him for that. It hurt me that I couldn't have given him more of myself, I owed him that much.

It was my pull towards Edward that had kept me from being with Jacob; I knew that in my heart. I was too swept up in the idea of Edward to notice how much Jake meant to me. Had the circumstances been different I'm not sure what would've happened. The idea of being Jacob sounded foreign. Maybe he had changed? I knew that I had changed. I doubted that we would ever be able to go back to the way things were. We would have to start our relationship over.

The water ran cold before I got out of the shower and dried my hair. It was long now, coming down past my shoulders. I needed a haircut badly. I changed into my old pyjamas and took out a piece of paper. I made a list of errands I needed to run, things I needed to buy. If I was going to start over I needed to reassemble myself. I needed new clothes first.

I lay on my bed, wondering if my sleep was going to be filled with nightmares as it had been almost every night since I left. I thought about what I was going to say to Jacob when I finally did see him. My eyelids felt heavy as I pictured what he might look like.

The next day was filled with little tasks, letting mum and Phil know where I was, paying bills, that sort of thing. I stopped to do a bit of grocery shopping for Charlie too. It was at the store that I ran into Mike Newton.

"Bella?" I whipped my head around. "Bella! What are you doing here?" I was going to have to get used to that question pretty quickly.

"I'm back." I tried to give him a small smile but it came out as a grimace instead. Mike nodded.

"We should catch up then." The one of the few things that I liked about Mike was that he was always open to me.

"Sure." I paid for the groceries at the register. "I gotta go but give me a call sometime and we can arrange something."

"Will do. Nice seeing you Bella." I hauled the groceries back to the truck and drove home. The weather was wet and cold. Not unusual for Forks. I felt calmed by the greenery. I was driving for ten minutes when I thought I noticed something in the woodland. It was a flash of black and it was gone as soon as it came. I didn't think too much of it. After all, the woods had its fair share of creatures.

My second night back in Forks was not as peaceful as my first. I woke up sweating through my tank top after having a dream about falling face first into a pile of needles. Some of my demons I had not completely forgotten about. I across my room to my window and pulled it open, welcoming the cool breeze against my chest. Untying my hair, I let it fall down my shoulders and surveyed the view from my window. The trees had grown slightly, their foliage much denser than when I had seen it last. I shuddered slightly when I saw an owl, its yellow eyes piercing. And it was that moment when I looked down that I spotted another pair of eyes looking back at me with disbelief.

"You have got to be kidding me."

* * *

I almost fell out of my window. I hadn't expected to see him here. Not so soon. I wasn't prepared for this.

"Jacob, I ..." no words came. He narrowed his dark eyes at me, seemingly taking in my dishevelled appearance.

"Come downstairs, or let me come up, either way we need to talk."

"I'll come down. Just give me a minute." I wrapped an old threadbare robe around me and tied it around the waist before quietly treading down the stairs. Opening the front door, I walked out to the side of my house where he was standing. "So..."

"So," he repeated. "You're here."

"Mhmm. I'm back." I attempted a smile. Jacob looked at me sideways.

"Why?" I stopped. Why _was_ I back?

"I missed home."

"I see." I looked up at Jake. He had become the Jacob I remembered just after he found out he was a werewolf. His shiny black hair was cropped short again and he was wearing Sam's hard look on his face. It didn't sit right on him though. It didn't suit him, made him look older, cold. He took in a deep breath. "You're still human I take it."

"Yeah." I shifted uncomfortably. "I couldn't deal with the whole eternal damnation thing." I laughed feebly.

"So how long were you going to wait until you came to see me?" he asked, ignoring my attempt to lighten the mood.

"I..." He looked at me curiously. "A couple of days. I only got back last night."

"Huh." Jacob ran his large hand through his hair. "The bloodsuckers are gone you know. In case you were hoping to come crawling back to that leech." I stared at him. That was a low blow even for Jake.

"Now just you hold on a minute. How dare you insinuate..." I could feel teeth chatter as I balled up my fists at my side.

"Oh come on Bella! What the hell am I supposed to think?" He hissed. "You run off without _any_ warning whatsoever. No contact. Left the rest of us here wandering if you're dead or alive. Then the Cullens disappear."

"It's not like that Jake." I warned. "It's nothing like that." I thought of the months I spent trying to forget about them all, the lengths I went to for any sort of distraction. I must have let out a slight whimper because Jacob's mask slipped momentarily.

"Then what is it?" The facade was in place again.

"It's...complicated." I realised how lame I sounded. "I can't explain everything. At least not right now. I need time." I sighed. "I didn't come back for the Cullens, for Edward." The air filled with silence as I stared at my feet.

"Did you come back for me?" Jacob asked softly. I realised that he was staring at me and I felt suddenly too vulnerable.

"Jake, please don't make this harder for me than it already is."

"I need to know Bella." He dug his hands in the pockets of his sweats. "Did you come back because of me?"

"You're my best friend Jake. I missed you. So yeah you could say that I did." I meant it. "I am so sorry. For everything. I know that doesn't even begin to cover it. I need time to make it up to you. I need you to forgive me." I looked down at the damp grass as I felt a hot tears leaking from my eyes.

"Bells..." I took in a breath as he spoke to me. "Are you really back?" I nodded hard as I tried desperately to blink the tears away.

Jacob's shoulders slumped. "I'll come by tomorrow and we'll talk okay?" I looked up at him as he edged closer. "Just don't look so helpless. It's hard to stay mad at you when you look like Bambi." He flashed the slightest of smiles as he said that. His smile. I couldn't help smile in return.

"Bambi?" He let out a low chuckle now and touched my shoulder, his hot skin searing into my own.

"Bye Bella." And with that, Jacob disappeared back into the woods with a run. I stood there dazed as I let the warmth spread through me. This seemed like a step in the right direction. I just hoped that we could return to some sense of normalcy. I had desperately missed the heat.

* * *

_**A/N: What do you think? Shall I continue with this story? Do you think the interaction between Bella and everyone else seems reasonable given the circumstances? Or do you think Jake needs to stay mad at Bella for a bit longer? Help me out a bit here – I'm not sure which direction to take this story. **_

_**P.S. I love REVIEWS, they really encourage me to write and will help me incorporate some of YOUR ideas into the story!!**_


	2. The New Look

_**A/N: Thanks to my reviewers, it really made my day! I've posted up another chapter. Hopefully you guys will like it. It's got a bit more interaction with Bella and Jacob. I can't seem to make it so that all the line spaces I want appear so the writing is a bit cramped together unfortunately. If you adjust the spacing on the top bar where you can change the font size, then it will be easier to read.  
**_

**Pieces**

Chapter Two

I awoke to the brilliant ray of sunlight streaming through my open window. Jake was coming over today. I thought about everything I could do to make the whole visit less awkward. I could cook him something for a start. He hadn't actually mentioned _when_ he would be getting here so I was stuck for what to make him. I heard Charlie's cruiser leave the driveway. It was a work day after all. I had yet to find a job. Another thing on my list of things to do. I stepped into the shower and got myself ready. There was plenty to do around the house and yard to occupy myself with until he got here. I put on a pair of jeans and an old Mickey Mouse t-shirt and tied my hair up in a high pony tail. I was really going to have to do something about my hair. I surveyed myself in the mirror. I looked so tired. And pale. A day out in the sun wouldn't hurt at all.

I made myself a big breakfast of sausages, eggs, toast and some fried tomatoes. Topped off with a glass of orange juice. I needed to gain back some of the weight that I had drastically lost during the past year. I sat down to eat when I was interrupted by the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bells, its Jake."

"Oh hey Jake. How's it going?"

"Not bad. Listen I'm coming over once I get off work, so that'll be around 4ish?"

"Okay. I'll have something to eat ready if you want."

"Sure, sure. See ya." He hung up.

After finishing my breakfast I cleaned the kitchen and then headed out to the backyard. It was by no means big but boy, it was messy. Charlie had no time to maintain a yard and it was plain to see that he hadn't bothered trying either. There were bits of tree and branches littered everywhere and the grass was overgrown. I started with the old tin shed. After what seemed like far too long I had it organised into rough categories; garden stuff, old house stuff and crap that needed to be chucked out.

My rumbling stomach interrupted my work and I headed back into the kitchen to fix some lunch. Eyeing some pasta in the pantry I decided on making ham Carbonara, a recipe I had picked up from a friend of mine. I made enough for four. Three out of the four servings would be for Jacob of course. I hadn't forgotten how much that boy could wolf down, pardon the pun. After deeming it good enough to eat, I headed back into the yard to mow the lawn.

The lawn was a battlefield. There were large sticks strewn everywhere and I had to remove them before I could get started on the actual mowing. I was huffing and puffing away, sweat dripping down the base of my neck and down my back, sticking to my shirt but I was getting there. There was a lot of cursing coming from my part too. The sun had been beating down on me all afternoon and I felt slightly faint from the lack of hydration. After finishing, I went inside to grab a drink of water.

"Hey Bella." I almost had a heart attack.

"How long have you been here?" I spluttered, managing to slosh much of the water down my front.

"I think the question is what have _you_ been doing?" He narrowed his eyes at me, a smile tugging on the corner of his lips. I grumbled under my breath.

"Ah. Well it is pretty hot today." Jacob's acute sense of hearing meant that nothing I said would get past him. He was lazily sprawled across the couch, his large frame leaving little space for anyone else. I opted to sit on the armchair rather than making him move, something that I would have ordinarily done. He noticed this and sat up slightly.

"It's okay; I can see you better this way." I explained hoping he would buy it. To be honest, I wasn't sure I'd be able to sit so close to Jacob without saying or doing something extraordinarily stupid.

"Sure sure."

"So where do you work anyway?" I asked taking note of his cut-off denim shorts and black boots. He seemed to be aware of my gaze and straightened his shoulders. No doubt trying to dazzle me with his physique which was, in short: both intimidating and impressive.

"I work at as a mechanic near La Push after school. This guy owns the place, he saw me working on something and boom, I was hired. What about you? What have you been doing this past year? Or is it still too early to ask?"

"I'm still looking for a job." I admitted. "I'm not really qualified for much though...this past year has been, well now that I think about it, a complete waste." Jacob cocked his head in question. "I moved to New York to find myself and ended up partying too hard too often." He let out a low whistle.

"Wow. Bella Swan, party animal. I never would have guessed."

"I know right? But in the end, I realised it was a dead end. I missed having people who actually cared about me." I sighed.

"I'm guessing this is the short version?" I nodded in reply.

"The long version is pretty exhausting. I try not to think about it."

"Bella listen," the air in the room got about ten more levels of serious as Jacob edged closer. "You're not up to spilling your guts just yet I get it, but don't feel like you can't you know? I know I was a bit short with you last night and hell, I'm still pissed off that you left, but you're back and if you say it's not because of the Cullens then I can't hate you. I'm here for you."

"The Cullens have nothing to do with it I told you yesterday."

"Okay okay." He smiled. _My_ smile. "I won't bring it up unless you want to. Now where is this food you promised me?" I laughed as we stood up to walk to the kitchen. Jacob brought a thumb to his mouth and proceeded to rub my cheek.

"Ew, Jake!" He simply laughed.

"You had this cute little smear of dirt just ....there, I couldn't resist." I stuck my tongue out at him. "Oh real mature Bella. Come on." He gave me a little push in the direction of the fridge. At least this was somewhat normal.

* * *

We talked as I watched him eat.

"So Sam and Emily are expecting."

"Wow. Tell them congrats for me."

"You can tell them yourself when you come over this week."

"This week?" I looked at him curiously.

"Oh right," he stuffed a forkful of pasta into his mouth, "We're having a little get together at our place Friday night. You're coming of course, already told Charlie about it."

"Am I ...welcome there?" I didn't want to experience a pack full of overgrown Quileutes who were ready to hunt me down.

"Sure sure, it'll be fine." He paused. "Okay, so you're not _loved_ at the moment by everyone but for the most part, people still like you." My jaw dropped.

"For the _most_ part?"

"It's only Leah. The rest are glad you're back. Even Paul." He added with a laugh. Noticing my look of worry he went on. "Don't worry about it Bells, Leah's always been... well a bit of a bitch." He laughed and flashed me his smile and of course I forgot about everything he had just said. Jacob went back to eating and I felt my eyes rake over him.

Muscles tensed underneath his russet skin as he brought the fork to his lips. I noticed the way his jaw would clench as he chewed, his tongue slowly darting out to lick off remnants of the sauce from the corners of his mouth. My eyes travelled to his neck, drops of perspiration trailing down its length and onto his shoulders, his torso.

"Hungry?" Jacob had stopped eating and was now smirking at me, a devilish glint in his eyes. I groaned. I knew he was referring to me having just visually violated him.

"Not really." I lied.

"How long has it been since you've been around a real man?" he raised his eyebrow.

"Oh get lost." I stood up. "I have to go do the washing."

"That's what I thought." I could hear him laughing as I retreated towards the laundry, mumbling profanities at him through my obvious embarrassment.

Come on Bella, this was _Jacob_. Annoying, immature Jacob. Whatever had transpired just then was a result of my absence around the male form. Well, males with bodies as good as Jake's. At least that's what I told myself. I let out a few deep breaths as I steadied myself.

"Still can't get this off your mind?" Jake walked in and did a twirl. I smiled.

"Well I certainly won't be able to get that_ pirouette_ you just did off my mind!" I doubled over laughing and soon enough Jake joined me.

"Okay okay, I have to go." Jacob stopped laughing. "Unless you want to feed me dinner? I'll even let you check out my legs."

"Ha ha. Very funny." I shot him an attempt at a withering stare as we walked to the hall. "You gonna come over again?"

"Well it's your turn to come over next. Today is Wednesday so... I'll see you on Friday then?"

"Right right, get together at your place." I stated nervously.

"Don't sweat it. It's totally casual. In fact so casual, I may not even bother getting dressed at all." I swatted Jacob's arm. "Okay fine, I'll stop teasing."

"Good. Now get out of here. "

Jacob pulled me into a bear hug and held me in his chest. Leaning down he whispered... "This isn't... turning you on is it?"

"JAKE!"

"Okay, going. Bye Bells." He ran out the front path as his grinned widely.

"Bye." I grumbled as I shut the front door.

* * *

I fixed Charlie dinner and flipped through the tv channels, hoping for something good. I was thoroughly disappointed.

"Bells?" Charlie called as he came home.

"Yeah?"

"I found a job that you might be interested in." That caught my interest and I unstuck myself off the couch and walked into the kitchen where Charlie was getting a beer.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. It's nothing flashy, but a friend of a friend owns the bookstore in Forks and she mentioned that she's looking for someone. I told her that you were searching for something and she said she'd be keen to meet you. It's mainly inventory and serving customers but I thought you might like it."

"Sounds kinda perfect actually, thanks dad." I smiled and then stopped. "Since when does Forks have a bookstore?" Charlie chuckled.

"It's new, just opened up last month. It started out a bit quiet but business has been steadily picking up, I guess that's why Susie, your potential new boss wanted some extra help."

"Awesome. This works out so well. Again, thanks."

"Don't worry about it, it was nothing." Charlie sat down on a dining chair. "She wants to meet you on Friday." I nodded.

"Sure that sounds great. Um, are we going to La Push on Friday night?" I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Oh right yeah, get together at the Blacks. They needed some help setting up so we'll get there a little early, say five?"

"Okay." We ate dinner in relative silence. Knowing our relationship we were not going to have the whole, 'what are you doing with your life Bella' talk which I was extremely grateful for.

I spent the rest of the night sorting through the cardboard boxes full of my stuff. There were mostly old clothes, clothes which I decided I didn't want because they reminded me of my old life. I did however keep some t-shirts, underwear and a pair of ripped and faded jeans. No point throwing out something which cost me far too much at the time. I hadn't taken all that much with me when I left so naturally I didn't have too much to bring back. I planned a trip to Port Angeles tomorrow to buy some new stuff, something more...me. At least the 'me' that I wanted to be. I was also going to do something about my hair.

* * *

"Well? What do you think?" Leanne handed me the mirror.

"I think I love it." I stared in shock at the transformation. That woman was a goddess. My previously ratty hair now sat up to my shoulders and was a lovely shade of chestnut brown as opposed to the nearly black colour it was. It was styled so that it looked sleek and sophisticated. I even had bangs! I had never seen my hair look so silky before and the lighter colour really complemented my complexion.

"You look gorgeous." Leanne commented as she ran her palms over the top. I felt elated, like a new person, so in short, Leanne had done the job. I left the salon feeling a hundred times better about myself.

I bought a few items of clothing. A little bit of everything. A really pretty emerald green halter dress was one of my favourite things that I bought. It went down to my knees and flared out at my waist. I also fell in love with a high neck halter top which was, as I was told, hand painted silk. My visit to the lingerie store was a bit embarrassing and I'm pretty sure my face had never been redder than the half an hour that I was in there. Still, I had gotten what I needed so I was just glad to get out.

I had some money left over which I was considering splurging on another dress when I walked past the window of the shoe store. Now I've never been one to go gaga over shoes like other girls but these were too hard to resist. They were a pair of high heeled boots in a rich chocolate brown. Having recently taught myself how to walk in heels I no longer felt frightened by the stilettos facing me in the display. I walked into the shop and bought the boots without even asking how much they were. That's how much they spoke to me. God, shoes calling out to me? I was really a nutcase now.

I couldn't wait to go home and try everything on and I when I got back to Forks, I did just that. I spent hours trying on my outfits and putting everything away in my closet. I hadn't felt this excited about anything in a long time. Sure it was just clothes but still, I was allowed to be a girl sometimes.

* * *

I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous for my meeting with Susie. I had never really been good with job interviews, mainly scoring work through contacts. Charlie said she had practically hired me already but I still wanted to make a good impression. I decided to wear a high waisted grey skirt I had bought yesterday and my new yellow silk top. I left my hair out so that I didn't look like I was trying too hard and dusted a little blush on my cheeks to add some much needed colour. I put on a coat of mascara and some clear lip gloss. After deeming myself presentable I grabbed my handbag and slipped on a pair of heels before getting into my truck.

The bookstore wasn't too far from Newtown's which meant that there would be the probability of seeing Mike more than a few times. I hoped he still wasn't hung up on me. There was only so much I could take before it got really awkward. I was glad that he hadn't called me yet. I don't think I would have been able to see anyone without getting myself together first. Jacob was the only exception to that. Him and my father of course.

I walked into the store and was met by piles and piles of books near the entrance. I had to weave my way through them to get to the counter.

"Hi, is Susie there?" I spoke to a young woman who looked about in her late twenties. She had short blonde hair that was pulled in a spiky fashion. My heart went immediately to Alice and I had to steady myself momentarily.

"Yeah that's me. You must be Bella." She stuck out her hand which I gingerly shook. She was wearing a white singlet and a knee length skirt and had a pencil wedged next to her ear.

"You're first job will be to put those books away." She motioned to the pile.

"Oh, I'm hired already?"

"Yeah, pretty much. You have your résumé with you?" I nodded. "Good. I'll take a look at it but consider yourself part of the team. You'll be paid hourly and as soon as you're ready to start, I'll assign you some shifts."

"Great. Well I can start Monday."

"Excellent." We chatted for a few more minutes and soon I parted ways with Susie and drove back to Forks.

My dad was hovering outside the front door when I got back.

"Come on Bells, we have to go."

"Where?" I looked at my watch. It was half past four. We were due to be at the Blacks at five. "Oh, I didn't realise it was so late. Well let's go then."

Charlie eyed me. "Aren't you a little overdressed for the Blacks?"

"I was meeting Susie remember? Besides, I don't think I have time to change now, although I'll switch for some flat shoes."

"Oh, how did the interview go? You look very nice by the way."

"Thanks dad. The interview went well. I start next week."

"Great. Now hurry up."

"Okay, okay." I got in the house and kicked off my heels, opting for something more comfortable.

The drive to La Push was fine at the beginning but the closer we came to the reservation, the more nervous I became. I felt the knots forming in my stomach as I thought about how Billy, how everyone else would react when they saw me. I had pretty much abandoned them all, leaving them to worry about me. And now I had to deal with coming back and attempting to explain why I had been such a coward. I had too much on my mind. And this wasn't even including everything with the Cullens.

* * *

_**A/N: What did you think? There will be more drama in the next chapter! REVIEW REVIEW! It's my only motivation.**_


	3. The Get Together

_**A/N: Thanks again to those who reviewed, I REALLY appreciate it! Hope you guys will like this new chapter!**_

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Pieces

Chapter Three

* * *

"Charlie, good to see you." Billy said as he opened the door. "Bella, long time."

"Yeah. How have you been?"

"Not bad, not bad. Yourself?"

"Um okay I guess."

"You look different." I ran my fingers through my shorter hair. "Yeah I got my hair cut."

"So what can we help you with Billy?" Charlie asked as we all walked into the small living room.

"Just setting up. I thought we'd sit outside tonight considering the clear forecast. Its gonna be a big group so we'll need some chairs on the porch. Maybe we can get a bonfire going tonight."

"Sure thing." I walked with Billy and Charlie to the back porch.

"Oh Bella," Billy turned to me, "I was hoping you would help get the food ready to go. Why don't you go get Jake and you two can set it up. Some of the stuff is a bit heavy."

"Okay."

"He's up in his room."

"Sure."

I walked up the stairs and down the hall towards Jacob's room. The door was slightly ajar but I knocked in case. Now would not be a good time to get into any sort of awkward situation.

"Yeah, I'm in here." I pushed the door open. Jacob was lying on his bed with a magazine in his hands.

"I'm not interrupting anything am I?"

"Nah I was just reading up on auto stuff..." he turned his head to look at me and stopped for what seemed like 30 seconds.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked panicked.

"No, nothing. Nothing's wrong. You just look... wow, different." He set down the magazine and got up. "Haircut?" He walked over and ran his fingers through my hair, sending shivers down my spine. "I like it." He grinned. "Makes you look so much more _alive_."

"Well I'm glad you think so. I happen to like it too." I flashed him a smile.

"Aw Bells, you didn't have to dress up for me..."

"Oh shut up, I had a job interview."

"Oh? How did it go?"

"Really well actually. You're looking at the new employee of Susie's bookstore." Jacob looked me up and down and raised his eyebrow.

"Well I definitely like what I see." I felt my face go red. Great. Way to blush at the slightest thing Bella. Jacob patted the space beside him on his bed and I went and sat down, my eyes wandering around his room. Not much had changed. His stuff was everywhere though. Clothes, CDs and books strewn all over the floor.

"I haven't had time to clean up lately." He ran his hand through the back of his hair as he noticed me staring.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I've been in your bedroom enough to not care what it looks like." Jacob smirked and opened his mouth. "I'll bet-"

"Don't finish that thought." He grinned.

"I'm glad."

"About what?" I asked.

"About this, about us."

"Jacob I-"

"I know I know, you just got back and you're going through a lot of stuff blah blah blah. I'm just glad you're here. And don't forget if you need to talk then I'll always be here."

"Thanks Jake."

I leaned against him, inhaling his scent. It was earthy. A familiar scent I had missed so much. I sighed. This was too easy, being with Jake. I half expected him to not want to speak to me again after how much I hurt him. It killed me that he endured so much pain on account of me. And here he was, welcoming me back. So unassuming. He was exactly what I needed. And yet I couldn't think of making any more of this. It scared me. I knew he loved me. I couldn't say that I didn't love him because I did. I loved him too much and it wouldn't be fair for me to start any sort of romantic relationship when I was so messed up. I didn't want to ruin anything that we might possibly have by deciding to get involved with Jake. Not until I was ready to give him my whole heart. I sniffed, realising that Jake was looking at me. He stroked my arm with his thumb.

"So you're here early." He said softly, not wanting to draw attention to what was surely my now splotchy face.

"Yeah I'm helping set up the food and you're gonna help me." I straightened up and took in a deep breath, trying to compose myself.

"What makes you think that I'll help? Isn't the kitchen the _woman's domain_?" He drawled.

"Jacob Black, you had better not be implying what I think you are." I waggled my finger at him. He raised his large hands up in mock defence.

"I didn't imply anything."

"Good." I smiled and turned around, leaning against his doorway.

"Lead the way." He wrapped his large arms around my shoulders and walked me to the top of the steps.

"Push me Jake and I will kill you."

"I doubt it." He snorted and hoisted me up over his shoulder, ignoring my screams and punches.

"Everything okay in there?" called Billy.

"Yeah, everything's fine!" Jacob shouted.

"I am going to get you for that." I snarled. Jacob simply rolled his eyes.

"Sure sure."

* * *

We spent a good half hour getting everything ready. I made a quick salad while Jacob stood around and tried to eat it.

"Jacob I said no!" I squealed after what felt like the millionth time of him trying to sneak a piece of tomato into his mouth.

"Getting rejected again Jake?" a voice called out.

"Yo Embry! In the kitchen." Embry Call walked in widening his eyes at the large amounts of food on the table.

"Excellent..." He said, nodding his head before looking up at me. "Vampire girl!" He pulled me into a hug. I was shocked to say the least.

"Hey Embry, it's good to see you." I smiled nervously.

"You too, you too. Nice to see you alive."

"Yeah. Although you should probably stop calling me vampire girl now."

"Oh I see..." he commented nodding. "Wolf girl then is it?" I blushed furiously.

"Not exactly..."

"Hey where's Quil?" Asked Jacob before things got any more awkward. Embry rolled his eyes.

"What is he, my wife? I dunno where he is."

"Actually I always pictured you as the wife." Embry gave Jake the finger. "Oh... someone's moody today."

"So Bella," said Embry turning to me and ignoring Jacob, "Back for good?" I nodded. "Great. Maybe Jake will stop sulking all the time now."

"Shut up. I do not sulk."

"Sure you don't." Embry winked at me, stretching his neck.

While Jacob was built, Embry was wiry although probably just as tall. Lean muscle wrapped around his thin frame and I had often found myself staring at his eyes. There was something so inquisitive about them, I couldn't help it. Of course all of the Quileute boys were mesmerising in their own way but Embry was... well cool. He had been very shy when I first met him but we had gotten closer and I found him so chilled out, it was relaxing. When he wasn't goofing off with the rest of them, he was a great guy to talk to. He was never quick to judge me unlike the others when he knew I was with the Cullens. It was a nice change from the times when I got sick of testosterone fuelled hot heads like Jake and Paul.

"So anyway Bella, what are you up to these days?"

"Oh not much really. I got a job."

"Cool." His eyes were now resting on a tray of chicken wings.

"How's senior year? I forget you guys are still in school." Jacob groaned.

"Okay, can we not talk about school? It's such a downer."

"Yep." Added Embry.

"Alright..." I thought. "Girlfriend?" Embry blushed.

"I'm not really looking for that sort of thing..."

"Only because you keep getting rejected." Quil popped out of nowhere. "Hey Bella, always good to see you." He kissed me on the cheek.

I was a little surprised at the treatment I was getting. So far, no one had said anything that made me feel uncomfortable. Of course Quil and Embry were the two least likely to hold a grudge. The others I weren't so sure of.

* * *

People started filling into the Black's house pretty quickly after that and the food was disappearing fast even considering that the appetites of the pack had been taken into consideration.

"Bella!" Emily sidled up next to me. "How are you?" I loved Emily to bits. She was always so understanding and patient.

"Congratulations." I said looking down at her enormous stomach.

"Twins." She beamed as she rubbed her hand across her belly.

"Oh! Well a double congrats then. I'm real sorry I wasn't here for the wedding."

"I understand Bella. It's not like you wouldn't have come if you were here."

"I'm glad you see it that way."

"I'll show you the photos. I wore the most beautiful white gown and Sam looked incredible..." Emily gushed but I was not paying attention. Her words just reminded me of the wedding that _I_ would have had, had I stayed in Forks. The room was getting really crowded and suddenly I felt like I couldn't breathe. "Bella, are you alright?" Emily stopped and looked concerned. I shook my head. The room was spinning now.

"I need air." I choked. Emily placed my hand in hers and guided me out to the front of the house away from all the people where we sat down on the front stairs. I started hyperventilating and she rubbed the small of my back as I gasped in the cool night air.

"I'm sorry if I said anything upsetting Bella." She stated, confused at my reaction. Once I had calmed down considerably my shoulders drooped.

"It's not your fault Emily. I just... it just struck something inside me. I don't really want to think about it though."

"Okay." She placed her arm around me and kissed my temple. "Are you going to be okay?" I nodded.

"I'll be fine, I just need a moment alone. You go join the rest of them. I'll be fine I promise."

"Sure." She went back to the howls of laughter erupting from the house.

I sat alone with my thoughts of Edward. Hurting him had made me feel like I was ripping in two. I didn't know which was worse, that or the stabbing regrets I would have felt if I had become one of them. There wasn't much I could do about the Cullens. They were gone and I didn't know if I would ever see them again. I wondered if Alice ever kept an eye out for my future. Of course, now that I was spending time with Jacob I wouldn't show up on her radar but I hoped she at least knew that I was back. As for Edward, I honestly hoped I would never see him again. One look at his perfect face would send me running back into his arms and I knew I couldn't let that happen. I still loved him.

"But I have to let that go now." I said to myself. I had to focus on the present, my life here in Forks with Charlie, Jacob and now Susie... I had to call Angela too. I had neglected her and I felt bad. She was the one real human friend that I had.

"What are _you_ doing here?" A female voice asked, snapping me out of my daze.

* * *

"Leah, hi." I said softly. I hadn't seen her inside.

"Don't 'hi' me. I asked what the hell you were doing here." She had her hands on her hips. Her long black hair flew around her face in the breeze and her eyes were narrowed.

"I came back."

"You're not welcome back Bella." She snarled. "You've caused too much trouble."

"I know I have Leah. I didn't mean to. I know I left abruptly."

"Damn straight. I was even beginning to like you."

"And now?" I asked, slightly nervous of her intimidating stance.

"What do you think?" she said condescendingly. "I'm surprised you're even alive. And what, you suddenly decided that you want to come back into our lives? Into Jacob's life?"

"This is about Jacob." I said blankly.

"Of course this is about Jacob." She spat. "The months that we've had to put up with his _whining_. Bella doesn't love me, she doesn't want me." Leah mimicked.

"Well I'm back so he doesn't have to worry about that."

"Doesn't he? What about the next time when the Cullens come back and you decide to just up and leave?" Leah edged closer to me as I stood up.

"I'm not going anywhere. Look Leah, I know you don't like me right now and I'm sorry that you feel that way but my decision to leave was my own. They didn't persuade me in any way so don't take it out on them."

"You're right. I'm taking it out on you."

"What's your point?" I said, suddenly bored of her.

"My point is: Fuck off Bella. Leave. We don't want you here." She hissed, her mouth twisting into a scowl.

"Jake wants me here." I retorted. "So unless he tells me that he doesn't, I'm staying."

"Jake doesn't know what's good for him and if you know what's good for you, you'll get lost."

"Whatever." I rolled my eyes. She was really getting on my nerves. Who did she think she was telling me to fuck off? I desperately just wanted to be rid of her and join the rest of the party. I turned my back to leave.

"Don't walk away from me." She yelled. I turned back and walked right up to her.

"I'll do what I like thank you very much." I growled. "And if you _ever_ threaten me again, you'll get what's coming to you."

"I'd like to see that." I ignored her last comment. I was tired of Leah. I walked back inside the house and out to the back porch where everyone was now gathered.

"Hey, I was wondering where you disappeared off to. You look flustered." Jake got out of his seat. "Here, sit."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine on the ground." Jacob leant against my legs as the pack sat around, laughing and making jokes. Emily caught my eye and smiled. I nodded to indicate that I was feeling okay now. The truth was I was still upset about what happened with Leah, who was now sitting next to Seth and staring into the bonfire. I wondered if she would block the whole incident from her memory when she phased.

"So Paul is just shaking at this girl who took his parking spot, like literally shaking and she's just standing there wondering what the hell is going on! She got so freaked she was like 'Just take it!'" The boys roared with laughter as Paul simply rolled his eyes. He was used to the pack making fun of his temper now.

"Hey, where are Charlie and your dad?" I whispered to Jake as I noticed both our fathers were missing from the group.

"Oh they went over to the Clearwater's. Got tired of us young ones I suppose. Your dad took the truck so he asked me to drop you home."

"Okay."

"Yeah just let me know when you want to leave and I'll take you back."

"Cool." He leant back against my legs again and I ran my fingers through his hair absentmindedly as everyone shared their stories. I felt so content hearing all the things they got up to. I felt a part of their big family but more importantly, I felt like I was home.

* * *

People started leaving around midnight and I found myself getting tired.

"I'll drop you off?" Jake asked noticing my stifled yawns.

"Yeah." We walked out to the front of the house.

"Hang on a sec." Jake came back a few moments later with his bike in tow.

"Wait a minute, where's your car?"

"The Rabbit got too small for me and I'm not really in a position where I can afford another car so I've just been getting by on my bike." He put on his helmet and added. "The helmet's for Billy. It's the only way I'm allowed to ride it. There's one for you too." He said holding out a second motorcycle helmet.

"Jake, I can't get on that, I'm wearing a _skirt_."

"Don't get all girly on me now Bells." He teased. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine. But don't you dare laugh."

"Laugh at what?" A smile tugged at the corners of Jake's lips as he saw me hiking up my skirt so that I would be able to get my leg over.

"Shut up. Let's go." I said as I placed my hands on his hips.

"You're the boss." He sped off so fast I nearly fell off. I let out a small yelp and grabbed onto him hard, closing in my arms around his waist. I knew he had done that on purpose so I that I would sit closer to him and I was too sleepy to care at this point. He had gotten better at riding I noticed as I almost managed to doze off as I rested my head against his hard back. We stopped with a jerk and my eyes snapped open.

"Well thanks so much for the lift." I said jumping off and smoothing down my skirt. "So glad I wore the flats."

"I'm glad you came." He got off the bike and put his arms around me, resting his chin on the top of my head. We stayed in this position for a few minutes before he unlocked his arms. "So call me when you wanna hang out again."

"Well I'm not doing anything tomorrow so maybe you could come over?" I looked up at him, biting my lip. Was this too much too soon? I really didn't have anything else to do.

"Sure sure. I'll come over in the evening? As lame as it sounds, I've got a ton of homework to finish and I wouldn't wanna be thinking about it while I was hanging out with you."

"That's cool. I'll probably call Angela in the morning. Get back in contact with her you know?"

"Yeah, good idea. Hanging around with us boys must be doing your head in anyway."

"It's not so bad." I admitted, poking him in the ribs. "So, when you come, I wanna show you something." I clenched my jaw wondering if this was going to be a good idea. I had pretty much just gotten back and I didn't know if I was strong enough to revisit my past just yet.

"Is this I've been waiting to see?" Jake wiggled his eyebrows suggestively causing me to roll my eyes.

"You've been waiting to see? Jake, don't be gross. This is serious." I stared at him. He stopped smiling and hugged me again.

"Okay. Serious. Got it."

"No I mean it. I keep telling you that I'm too messed up to get involved with anything right?" I looked up at him, gauging his reaction.

"Yeah." He let out a sigh.

"So I need you to know why." He looked at me quizzically.

"Bella what..." I shook my head.

"I can't explain it now. I'll show you tomorrow okay?" I reached up on my tip toes and kissed Jake's shoulder. "Goodnight Jacob."

* * *

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A/N: So what did you think?? I hope there's enough to make you want to keep reading!

_**I'd love to know your thoughts on the wolf pack and how you think they would interact...I've only written a bit with Embry and Quil but there will definitely be more with the whole pack later on.**_

_**Let me know how you think the story is going by REVIEWING!!! Leave comments, suggestions, anything. I love feedback, it helps me power on and keep writing! xx**_


	4. The Last 12 months

**_A/N: Hey guys, so I've put up the new chapter. I still don't have enough feedback from you guys to know how you are liking the story but I'm motivated enough to keep going for the moment. I have a few things in mind for the next few chapters._**

Pieces

Chapter Four

* * *

I stood over the stove, waiting for the potatoes to boil. My morning with Angela had gone well. She was annoyed that she hadn't heard from me in that long but overall, I guess she was just happy that I was doing okay. Her and Ben had broken up a few months ago and she was, from what I could tell handling it pretty well. We planned to hang out next weekend. Charlie was home tonight and Jake was gonna be over soon so I made sure I made enough food. Charlie was used to the fact that Jake could go through like ten hot dogs so he didn't blink twice at the amount of groceries I came back home with.

My hands shook as I lifted the pot off of the stove. I wasn't sure if it was the weight of the pot or the fact that I was so nervous about seeing Jake. I told him that I was going to 'reveal all' so to speak, but I wasn't sure if I was totally ready for it yet. He deserved to know though; it wouldn't be fair for me to keep him at a distance without knowing why.

"Something smells good!" I heard Jake's voice booming from the hallway. "Hey Charlie, how's it going?" Charlie mumbled something in reply. He was obviously concentrating on the game that was on. I ran my hands through my hair and walked into the living room.

"Hey Jake." Jake smiled in reply.

"Bells, I'm starved." I rolled my eyes.

"Well aren't you glad I made some dinner then..." I smirked at him.

"I sure am, keep thinking how I'm gonna repay you for that..." he raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Whatever. Let's eat." I swear I saw Charlie's mouth tug into a small smile as I walked into the kitchen.

We ate in front of the television and once Jake and I were done I motioned to my room.

"Hey dad, we're gonna go listen to some music and stuff. Have fun watching the rest of the game."

"Okay honey."

"Dinner was great, thanks Bells." Jake pulled me into a hug once we had gotten up the stairs. "Now what was this big thing you were going to tell me or show me or whatever it was?" I sucked in a deep breath and sat down on my bed.

"This is kinda hard for me so be patient okay?" I began my voice a little shaky. Jacob noticed my nervousness and wrapped his warm arms around me. I wiggled out of his grasp and leant down as far as I could to reach under my bed. I'm sure he got a nice long look at my ass but I was too wound up to care. I felt around for it and pulled it up onto the bed.

"A box." He stated.

"Yep." I opened the box and emptied its contents. It was mainly old photos but there was a worn shirt folded underneath. "So let me fill in the gaps." I tried to sound confident as I started recalling that past twelve months...

* * *

"_What's your name?" A tall thin girl asked me after we bumped into each other at Central Park. Her long blonde hair was in a ponytail and she had the greenest eyes I had ever seen on a human being. _

"_Bella." _

"_Well Bella, I'm Ashley."_

"_Nice to meet you." _

"Ashley worked at a cafe in Greenwich Village, close to where she lived. She was studying Philosophy at NYU and had a keen interest in dance. We had nothing at all in common and yet it felt like I had known her for years. She was easy to get along with and I soon found myself telling her everything about my life in Forks, minus the whole supernatural thing of course. We didn't live too far from each other and I found myself around her all the time. You could say that we became pretty close. I would hang out at her apartment, mine being still in the never ending process of unpacking and she would invite me to all the parties she went to.

"Pretty soon we became inseparable. I went out with her and her friends, who became my friends too. One night at a party in the village, I was introduced to this guy Kyle who seemed pretty interesting. He was so intense, so full of life. We started talking and we clicked somehow. He was a bit weird, but then again, I was good with weird. I didn't keep contact with him after that. He was, as Ashley informed me, 'into a different scene'. I didn't forget about him though and it wasn't long before I would see him again.

"I continued to spend time with Ashley. I had never had a female friend who cared so much and so deeply about me. She would make sure I had company, had someone to talk to. She even let me stay over her place when I was feeling homesick. She invited me over for dinner one Friday night. We ate, we talked, and we laughed. We did everything we usually did but something felt different. We lounged around on her sofa as we talked about our ideal partners and stuff. You know, girl talk...

"_What's wrong?" I asked looking at Ashley. She had gone silent and was staring at me. She brought her slender fingers to my hair, tucking in a stray bit. I could feel my skin getting goosebumps as she leaned in closer. My heart started pounding as I realised what she was about to do. Her soft lips pressed against mine and I felt myself relax against her. I brought my shaking hand and placed it on her leg as she cradled my neck. I felt her tongue sliding against my bottom lip. I froze._

_

* * *

  
_

"WOAH. Hold on there. You made out with a girl?" Jacob looked incredulously at me as I bit my lip.

"It was one kiss and I didn't start it."

"You didn't slap her across the face did you?" he asked laughing.

"No you idiot." I grumbled as I threw my pillow at him.

"Wow, that's uh... man, I wish I was there to see it." He grinned.

"I hate you, you know?" I muttered. Here I was, trying to spill my guts and he was making a big joke out of it.

"Okay okay, then what happened?" He suppressed his smile at the obvious scowl on my face.

"I freaked out. I pulled back as far away as I could and stared at her like she had just descended from an alien spaceship."

"_I'm not a lesbian."_

"_I know that."_

"_Then why?"_

"_Bella, I just wanted you to know how much I've grown to care about you. I love you and I know you feel the same way about me too."_

"_I can't believe this!" I ran my fingers through my hair as I paced around. "I can't continue this, whatever this is. You're not good for me."_

"_How do you know that?" Ashley was now getting upset. I could tell from the way her mouth started quivering._

"_I just do okay? You're going to hurt me in the end. I can't handle that."_

"_What are you talking about Bella? I would never hurt you!" I grabbed my things and rushed to her front door. "Bella wait!" I slammed the door and walked out of the apartment._

"I didn't see her again for a very long time. Meanwhile I continued on expanding my network of acquaintances, none of them were really my friends as Ashley had been the only friend I had needed. So one night, by complete coincidence, I ran into Kyle. He was there, beaming with happiness. I wanted some of that happiness and I jokingly told him that. Little did I know that that 'happiness' came in the form of fine white powder."

"Bella..." Jacob interrupted but I shook my head. I grabbed the photos and handed them to him.

"I don't even remember being there half the time. I was so out of it." Jacob stared at the photos. I was in most of the pictures but looking back on them, I was hardly recognisable. I was deathly pale and my body looked as though it was just skin and bones. My cheeks were sunken in and my eyes were glazed over. My hair, which was black at the time, was stringy and clung to the back of my neck. Minutes passed as Jacob flipped through the photographs silently, his jaw starting to shake. I placed my hand on his arm, forcing him to look at me.

"I know it's hard to look at. I couldn't even touch them until recently."

"I just... this isn't you. It can't be." He whispered.

"I'm sorry I can't confirm that it isn't me. I was really down." I took the photos out of his hands and positioned myself against his chest. I knew I had to continue though it was taking a lot out of me to keep talking.

"So what happened next?" he asked as I took a deep breath.

"You can probably imagine the turn my life was taking. I stopped being a normal person and spent all my time with Kyle and his friends. It was so easy to forget about all my troubles, about everything. I became consumed with my activities, refusing to go to work and socialise with the people I used to know. I never saw Ashley again except maybe once in passing and even then I was too strung out to say anything to her. I wouldn't have known what to say anyway. She pushed me into something that I wasn't ready for and I pushed her back, out of my life.

"So I guess this all comes down to one night. I was at Kyle's shit hole of an apartment, slumped against the wall. There were a few other people there, mainly random girls and guys who came over every once in a while. Kyle had become, in my self-deluded state, someone that I could count on. Someone who would supply what I needed when I wanted it. That night we had had a fair bit of blow already. He wanted more and well who was I to deny it to him?

"I laid it out for him and went to the bathroom. I came back and he was lying on the floor, which was quite normal for him. Then I noticed that his breathing wasn't even. His body started shaking, convulsing…"

I felt hot tears blur my vision as I tried to recount the scene before me that night. My breaths became shallow.

"I placed his head on my lap, trying to figure out what was wrong with him, trying to find out if I would need to call the ambulance. Blood started trickling from his nose all over my shirt and I started to hyperventilate. No one else even realised what was going on."

"_Call an ambulance someone! There's something wrong with Kyle!" I sobbed over his now still form. Nobody moved. I fumbled around for my phone and dialled the number. _

"_Yes hello? I need an ambulance right away, my friend…I think he's had an overdose. The address is…" I struggled to form a coherent sentence._

"The ambulance arrived moments later and I made sure to get rid of all the drugs before they came. It was too late."

"He died?" Jacob spoke softly after what seemed like an age. I nodded, brushing away the tears that were streaming down my face.

"For a long time I thought it was my fault. I went to therapy after that, trying to assemble what was left of my life. That accident, it was a shock to my system. I had already lost so many people that I cared about, pushed them away because I was scared of being hurt."

"So then you came back?"

"Yes. I had left Edward because he wasn't good for me and yet I had gotten myself involved in a similar situation with a different crowd. I was in it for the thrills, the danger. I don't know why I keep doing it…"

"Its okay Bells," Jacob stroked my hair. "You're here now, that's all that matters. You're past is behind you and you can start over. I just want you to understand one thing." He turned me so that I was facing him and he looked intently into my eyes. "I'm here for you in whatever way, shape or form you need me to be. I know I've pushed you into things you haven't wanted before and I promise not to do it again."

"Thanks Jake. I'm glad I can always depend on you." I sighed as I leaned into his large frame.

"Why did you keep the shirt?"

"Huh?" I asked confused.

"The shirt you were wearing that night. Why did you keep it?" He gestured over to the worn shirt that had been lying in the box.

"Oh, I kept it as a reminder of what my life had become, to remind me that I never wanted to sink so low again, to be so cowardly." I wrapped my arm around Jacob's waist as we lay on my bed. I closed my eyes, breathing in his scent. I had let my guard down tonight and it felt relieving.

"Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"What would you have done if Edward was still in Forks?" I snapped my eyes open. "Hypothetically." Jake added as he noticed my sudden anxiety.

"Um… to be honest, I don't know. I think I would have tried to explain the reason for my actions, if he would listen to me of course."

"Do you still love him?" I kept silent for a minute.

"A part of me does. I can't help that. But more than a part of me knows that I couldn't be with him without giving up so much of myself. In the end I did the right thing, I think…"

"I think so too." Jacob said, rubbing the tops of my arms. We lay there not speaking, content with each other's company. It was a comfortable silence, something that I only enjoyed with Jacob. With Edward I had always been on edge, wondering what he was thinking. An hour passed and I felt worn out. Jake had dozed off with his arms around me, his head now on my pillow. I manouvered myself out of his arms, trying not to wake him as I headed for the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" He called sleepily.

"Bathroom. I'll be back in a sec."

"Hold on, what's the time?" I glanced over at my clock.

"Eleven."

"Crap. I should get going. Billy's gonna freak." Jake pushed himself off my bed and headed towards the stairs. "Don't worry I'll let myself out."

"Nah, I'll walk you. Toilet can wait." I walked down with him to the front of the house. "So… thanks for listening."

"Thanks for sharing." He smiled. "Seriously. It can't have been easy for you."

"I needed to tell you."

"Yeah. I'll see you soon okay?" Jacob kissed my cheek before sprinting off. "Oh and you're totally awesome, I can't believe you told Leah to get fucked!" He called from the distance.

* * *

The next weeks were spent at my new job which I realised I quite loved. Apparently, books were something I was good at. I loved telling customers about the newest coolest novels that I had read and recommending things for them. Susie told me I was a natural. Reading books also filled up my spare time when I wasn't hanging out with Angela or at La Push.

I spent nearly every other day with Jake and the pack just lazing around or fixing cars and whatever else they did. I hung out with Emily a fair bit too, helping her with her newborn twins Logan and Lexi. They were the cutest babies I had ever seen. Embry kept teasing me at every opportunity about how I had 'baby fever' and wanted to get cracking on making a few babies of my own. It was getting pretty damn annoying until I told him one day that that since I was struck with baby fever, he should step up and help me cure it. He shut up after that.

Jake and I were as friendly as ever and he never made uncomfortable comments. Well he _tried_ not to. He was still Jacob Black after all, a nineteen-year-old male with a one track mind but he had become more aware of why I sometimes seemed distant or why I didn't respond to his affectionate touches all the time.

"So Bella, you said you liked thrills right? Danger was your aphrodisiac or something?" Jake said out of the blue one morning that the pack was over at his place.

"Don't think that I said those exact words but okay… what are you talking about?"

"Well its just that today's the perfect day for cliff diving don't you think?" He motioned to the unusually bright blue sky.

Yes, I was settling into my new life just fine.

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**_A/N: YAY another chapter done! Let me know what you think. REVIEWS are loved like my love for Jacob!!_**


	5. The Dive

_**A/N: Hey guys, a BIG thanks to everyone who reviewed and has been reviewing!! It makes me so glad that you're interested in my story. I realise the last chapter was a bit...out of character for Bella. She's still the same old Bella but I just wanted to let everyone know what she's been up to and why she's been hesitant to get with Jake. Don't worry though - this chapter is more light hearted with some pack action (I love those werewolves!) Its a fair bit longer too, which is great for those of you who can't wait to read more :) I hope you like it!!**_

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**Pieces**

The Dive

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"Cliff Diving?" We were sitting around Jake's living room when he suggested the idea.

"Excellent plan dude!" Jared called out from the kitchen where he was getting a snack.

"If you finish my food Jared…"

"Yeah yeah, you'll pummel me to bits. I've heard the threat Jake. But seriously, cliff diving sounds great."

"I dunno…" I cringed. The last time I jumped off a cliff it hadn't ended too well.

"Don't worry, we'll look after you." Embry added. "Besides, Sam's not here so this is probably the only chance that we'd ever be allowed to take you along." He batted his eyes at me. "Please? Come on wolf girl, learn how to have some fun!" I shot Jake a warning look. I was erring on the side of caution these days after royally fucking everything up until I had returned to Forks. Jake knew that now and I hoped he would understand.

"He's right Bella." Jake turned to me, ignoring my look of desperation. "You'll be with us the whole time. We'll look out for you. It'll be fun I promise." He squeezed my hand in reassurance, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Paul.

"Ugh, spare me the public displays Black. God knows I have to deal with your fantasies day in day out." Paul grumbled.

"Get lost, its not like I don't have to put up with your thoughts either. She liked it real rough right? What was her name?"

"Shut up." Paul growled as he flexed his arms. Jacob put his hands up in defence.

"You started it…" Jake stood up and towered over Paul.

"Boys, boys, cool it." Quil interrupted Paul and Jacob before things started getting out of hand. "Are we gonna go cliff diving or not?" The pack all turned to me, eager with expectation. I stayed quiet for a long time.

"Fine." I conceded. "But if I get hurt, it will be on all your heads got it?" I pointed at the group.

"Excellent!" Seth chimed in.

"You're not going." Paul said to Seth.

"What? Why?"

"Leah." Quil stated. "She's supposed to come 'round later, one of us will need to stay back for her."

"Why does it have to be me?" Seth whined.

"Cause you're her brother."

"I can't believe you're gonna play the 'brother' card on me here…"

"Aw, it'll be okay. You can come another time." Seth glared at Jacob as he said that.

"I hate you all." He stormed out of the house.

"He'll be fine." Quil rolled his eyes as I bit my lip. "Okay. Let's go then." Paul stood up and slipped his t-shirt over his head, leaving him in only a pair of cut-off shorts. He was followed by Quil, Jared, Jacob and Embry.

"Hold on." I said as they were leaving for the door. "What am I supposed to do about _my_ clothes?" I pointed to the jeans and sweater that I currently had on.

"You could always take them off…" Quil raised his eyebrows.

"Don't be a jerk." Embry cut in. "Jake, don't you have anything of Rachel's that you could lend Bella?"

"Yeah, hang on." Jake wandered into the spare room and came out with a thin cotton dress. "This should do." He said tossing me the piece of material.

"Let me get changed."

"Fine, but hurry up." Jared called out behind me.

I slipped off my clothes and tossed them onto Jake's bed and put on the dress. It was light yellow with spaghetti straps and went down to my knees. Looking into the mirror I realised that it was rather flimsy but there was nothing I could do about it now.

"Okay done." I announced, inching out into the living room. I was met with five pairs of dark brown eyes all staring at me. "Let's go." I mumbled as I rushed past them. Embry let out a low whistle behind me and I swear my face was beet red.

"We're taking my truck." I said as everyone piled in. It was a bit of a squeeze but it would do for the short trip there. I just hoped that we didn't get pulled over.

The boys laughed and joked with each other the whole way. To put it bluntly it was loud and I felt like a teacher taking her kids out on a field trip.

"Okay, just park here and we'll walk the rest of it." Embry instructed from beside me. I parked the car and we spilled out onto the beginning of the dirt path. Nerves were started to bunch up in my stomach as I realised how high the cliff was. This didn't really bring back particularly fond memories.

"Don't sweat it Bella, it'll be fun." Embry placed a hand on my shoulder as we walked behind the rest of the pack.

"You guys are really hyping it up you know. I would hate to be disappointed." I joked.

"You won't be." He winked at me before running to the front of the group. I sped up my pace trying not to trip over my feet. The walk was short enough except that it felt like ages. I was thoroughly nervous now and looking down at the vast ocean did nothing to calm me down.

"Okay so I think Bella and I should go last." Jacob told the others. "That way you guys can help her swim back to shore if she needs it."

I stood next to Jake and slipped my hand into his large one. He smiled at me with his smile as the first two, Paul and Jared jumped. They were followed by Quil and Embry, both boys pushing each other until they reached the edge. I heard their bodies splash into the water. We were next.

I peered over the edge of the cliff into the dark water below. My heart started speeding up and my stomach was in knots.

"Just relax." Jake whispered. "You're well taken care of." He squeezed my hand. "Ready?" I nodded. "On the count of three. One…two…THREE!"

* * *

We sprinted about ten metres and propelled ourselves into the air. I let go of Jake's hand at this point and felt myself hurtling downwards, my stomach rising in my chest. For a moment I felt weightless and then I plunged into the icy cold depths.

The water was freezing. It felt like hundreds of pins pricking into my skin and I shrieked as I made contact. Once I had resurfaced, I felt a little better, my body starting to adjust to the temperature change. I spotted the others bobbing in the waves a few metres away and started to swim towards them.

"How you holding up wolf girl?" Embry called.

"It's cold!" I shouted.

"Yeah. Swim closer to us! It'll warm you up!" I did what he said and the water started to warm up significantly from the body heat of the pack.

"Where's Jake?" I asked after counting only four.

"Showing off as usual." Quil sniped. "See?" He pointed to the distant shore to which Jake was now approaching. It must've been like two hundred metres away. "He's not the fastest though." Quil added.

"Who is then?" I asked. If Jake was not the fastest and he was already walking along the beach then these boys had some serious speed on them. My question remained unanswered until I felt something sliding up my leg. I screamed as I flailed about wildly.

"I am." Called Paul as he hoisted me up from underneath. I didn't stop screaming for a good twenty seconds. "Come on. I'm supposed to swim you back to shore."

"Jesus Paul! You scared the living daylights outta me!" Paul simply flashed me a smug grin and lifted my arms, placing them around his neck.

"I'm sure Jake would've loved to be me right now, but even he can't swim as well as I can."

"Quit bragging and let's see you do it then." Embry said to Paul. "I'll race you."

"You're on." And with that both Embry and Paul took off, me hanging onto Paul for dear life.

He wasn't kidding when he said he was fast. I had to close my eyes and grip him as tight as I could to stop from falling off. We reached the beach first and ran to where Jacob was sitting on a worn blanket. I collapsed beside him; tired while Paul did the most hilarious victory dance I had ever seen. Embry arrived minutes later, sour from his defeat. He plonked himself beside me but not before tripping Paul over.

"Argh!" Paul cried as he face planted into the sand. Embry smirked.

"What did I miss?" Jared called as he reached us.

"Just Paul eating sand."

"What? No!"

"Shut up." Was all Paul could say in reply.

"Oh Bella, I found this in your truck." Jacob said as he pointed to the blanket we were lying on.

"Cool." I sat up and hugged my knees. Jared, Quil, Embry and Paul had now run off and were playing some sort of tackling game. _Boys_. The breeze was starting to pick up.

"You're cold." Jacob stated as my teeth chattered. He ran his finger along my shoulder, leaving a trail of warmth. "See? You've got goose bumps." He pulled me over towards him and I toppled onto his lying form.

"Sorry." I muttered. He didn't say anything and placed me against him so that I was lying on his chest. "Thanks." I said as I started to feel myself defrosting. His skin was so warm it was a shock to my system at first but then I welcomed the heat.

I lay on his hard chest and felt his heart pick up pace as my wet hair brushed against his sinewy neck. I absentmindedly skimmed my fingertips along the lines of muscle visible through the russet skin along his side as I settled into him. I followed the droplets of water trailing down his waist towards his hips and down… Jacob tensed beneath me and I felt a sudden wave of heat enveloping me as I stopped at the waistband of his shorts.

My breath hitched as I became aware of the proximity of our bodies. The thin material of the dress I was wearing was all that separated his bare chest from mine. He had his arms around me and I was pressed against him. _All of him _I realised and froze.

I could feel him hard against my hips causing heat to pool between my legs. I looked up at Jacob, his eyes darker than usual. I bit the edge of my lip at the intensity of his gaze.

"Jake…" The huskiness of my voice surprised me as he brought his face closer to mine. I heard him gulp as he edged his lips closer and I could feel the warmth from his mouth. It was inviting, drawing me into him. I fluttered my eyes closed as his lips came millimetres away from my own.

We were interrupted as I screamed unexpectedly, leaping out of Jake's hold when I felt a large splash of icy water on the back of my neck.

* * *

"Oh… sorry guys…" Jared said half heartedly, shaking himself dry all over us. He laughed he did this, causing me to shriek.

"You are such a … dog!" I poked his stomach. "That was COLD!" He raised his eyebrows at me.

"You looked like you could have used a little cooling off if you get my drift…" he said, motioning his eyes towards Jake who had now rolled over onto his front and was probably trying to calm himself down. I caught the grin on his face though.

I blushed furiously as I walked off towards a piece of driftwood.

What had just happened? If it weren't for Jared, Jacob and I would have kissed. I thought back to moments before when we were in such close contact. It wasn't unusual for Jake and I to get touchy with each other; it just never evoked such a reaction within me before. I blushed, as I thought of his obvious arousal not to mention my own. Since when was I hot for Jacob Black? Sure, he'd always been a good-looking guy with a body to die for but he was Jake. I don't think I was ready to blur the lines of our friendship without making sure I was ready to take that next step. I was going to have to talk to him.

To be honest, the possibility of starting something with Jacob scared me. He was so intense. Not like Edward had been though. Jacob was so honest, so full of emotion, so _raw_. I couldn't lead him on. I had to be sure that it was him I really wanted and that I was prepared to dive in the deep end because it wouldn't be any other way with Jacob. I sighed as I looked over at him laughing with the others and prepared to walk back after checking that I wasn't blushing enough to give myself away.

"You guys done playing around? I'm freezing my ass off here." I laughed as Quil had Jared in a headlock.

"Sure, sure." Replied Jacob. "Listen, we have a pack meeting at my place tonight but I was wondering if you wanted to stay at Emily's and help with the twins? They can be a handful when Sam's not around and you can come over afterwards. If you want to that is." He added.

"Sounds good. Although I might give Charlie a ring to let him know I won't be making dinner."

"Nah, invite him over. Billy will be pleased and they can keep each other company."

"Alright."

I drove to my house to get changed out of Rachel's wet dress and put on a pair of black tights and my old Felix the Cat t-shirt and chucked on a pair of purple converse shoes. Combing out the tangles in my hair and pulling it into a ponytail, I went to the kitchen. I still had a couple of hours before I had to be at Emily's so I opened up the cupboard and took out a few supplies. An hour later, the whole house smelt like chocolate brownies and I was dying to taste one of them. I resisted the urge though; I had already licked the bowl of batter clean. I put on some mascara and lip-gloss and started up the truck, the container of brownies thoroughly tempting me.

* * *

"Something smells divine!" Emily called out to me as I opened her front door. She greeted me with a kiss on the cheek and beckoned me inside.

"I just fed the twins and put them to bed so I'm free to hang out."

"So how is being a new mum treating you?" Emily let out a sigh.

"Oh you know, it's tiring as all hell but they are so damn cute!" she giggled. "We don't get too much sleep at night though, that's why Sam hardly hangs out with the rest of the pack though."

"How is Sam handling fatherhood?"

"He loves it. Absolutely loves it. It's so great to see him this hands on with the babies."

"I'm glad."

"So, enough about me, what about you? How's the job?"

"It's going pretty well. We just got a shipment a couple of days ago so I've been busy sorting through the new books."

"Mmhmm. I'm just gonna have a brownie." Emily said as she dug into the box. Her eyes widened and she nodded. "These are awesome!" She wolfed that one down and dove in for another. "How's the love life?" She raised her eyebrows. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Believe me if there was something to tell then you'd know." I said, pointedly trying to ignore the day's previous events.

"Are you and Jacob…?" she asked. I shook my head.

"I can't tell you what we are, I don't even know. He's my best friend that's all I can say." I shrugged.

"I see…" Emily licked her fingers. "Well I don't mean to make things harder for you but you two would be so good together."

"Em," I began.

"I know I know, I'm not being very helpful but if you want to know what I think, which you will because I'm about to tell you, I think that Jacob would be good for you."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on Bella, I see how you are when you're with him and to me it looks natural, it looks right like that's the way its supposed to be. Whatever you're going through and have been going through, I just feel like you'll get past it with Jake at your side."

"But he's part of the problem." I stated.

"Maybe you're just over complicating things, maybe being with Jake seems strange because it's so simple. That's just what I think okay?" She laughed and then a worried look came over her face. "Besides, this is way more fun than talking about what's been going on in Olympia."

"What? What's happened in Olympia?" I frowned.

"You haven't read the papers? There's been dozens of fresh attacks in the area."

"Vampires?" I asked hesitantly.

"It's too early to say but Sam and Jacob think so. If it is, then they're being really discreet about it. There are no obvious signs yet to rule it that way though." My heart jolted. "Whoever or whatever has been killing these people has been doing it for a looong time. That's what Sam reckons anyway. The thing is…" she paused. "Sam said something about finding dead vampires in the area too. I mean, that seems kind of odd considering there are no other werewolves that we know of around here. That's why the pack meeting has been called tonight. I thought you knew." I shook my head slowly, panic starting to rise within me.

I mentally kicked myself for not reading the papers. This was all confusing. If it _was_ vampires and they were being discreet… and other dead vampires? It didn't make any sense. I racked my brain trying to think of some possible scenario but nothing came to me.

My thoughts were interrupted by a soft cry from the bedroom.

"Babies huh? I'm surprised I'm able to function with these two." Emily said as she walked into her room.

"Do you think the meeting is over now?" I called from where I was sitting.

"Should be. It's been almost three hours." Emily replied. My brain was starting to go into overdrive with all these thoughts floating about in my head. I put on my shoes and grabbed my jacket. "I don't know why…"

I didn't hear the rest of what Emily was saying. I had to go see Jacob.

My thoughts were filled with Emily's words as I drove the short distance to the Black's house. I was starting to think that she might be right. It had been five months since I had returned to Forks and things were going great. I was starting to resemble a normal human being. I had gained much of the weight I was lacking and I was most importantly, happy. Jacob had a lot to do with that. He was so caring, so understanding. Today just proved how attracted to him I was on top of my existing feelings of love. What exactly _was_ I waiting for? Maybe it was time to give my relationship with Jacob a chance. I smiled as I thought about how happy he would be.

* * *

I walked up to the front door and raised my hand to knock.

"Oh Bella, shit. I didn't see you there." Jacob spilled from behind the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked. He looked flustered.

"No where. Just came back from a run." He narrowed his eyes. "How was Emily's?"

"Good. I made brownies. I would have brought you some, but I think Emily will have eaten them all by now." I laughed as I thought of her sitting by herself going to town with that box of brownies.

"Don't worry about." Jake said, his eyes darting around behind me.

"I wasn't worried-" Jake pulled me inside and shut the door. Well that was odd. I shrugged it off and flopped onto the couch, flicking through the television channels. Jake sat beside me but did not completely relax like he usually did. Something felt off. He kept clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Fuck!" Jake swore suddenly.

"What?" I got up to my feet.

"I forgot something. Hang on Bells, I'll be right back." He sprinted out the door before I could say a word.

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_**A/N: So what's up with Jake? Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out! (I think I might do it from a Jacob perspective.) What do you think? Please please please review and let me know your thoughts and ideas! xx **_


	6. The Unwanted Visitor

_**A/N: I'm SO sorry it's taken me this long to update. Honestly- I've had this chapter sitting around half done because I was so unhappy with it and I've just been too busy to sit down and work on it. Hopefully you guys will like the shift in perspective. Let me know what you think!**_

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Pieces

Chapter Six

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We started walking back from First Beach late afternoon. I shook my head, trying to get rid of the fat water droplets that were clinging to my hair. Today had been a lot of fun, we fooled around for ages and it was nice not having Leah around for once. As much as I knew that she was technically part of the pack, she got on my nerves, always trying to boss me around like she knew what was best for me. She was a pretty good fighter when it came down to it though.

"Man…did you see the dress Bella was wearing? I mean, damn. That girl has got a pair…" Embry laughed as I rolled my eyes at Quil who was coming up the rear. I have to admit though, that dress looked really good on her. Then again, everything looked good on her. She was gorgeous. She just didn't realise it. That stupid leech always walked around like he owned her and she would act as though she was lucky to even be in his presence. It really made my skin crawl just thinking about him and his obsession with her.

"When's the meeting?" I asked Paul who was walking up the front.

"Sam said 5 o'clock. It's at your place remember?"

"Yeah." I sped up so that I was walking with Paul. He had seemed tense lately. Well, more tense than usual. He was always so wound up, so ready to tear someone apart. He kept his thoughts pretty well hidden though, the ones he didn't want to share anyway. The ones we were privy to involved a string of no-name girls and some fights. It was always strange to see everyone's thoughts when we phased. Sometimes it was just a fleeting moment but so intense that it felt like we were there.

I had gotten glimpses into everyone's world, their minds over the course of our werewolf lives. Those seconds really revealed a lot about my brothers (and sister) and it brought us closer together. I knew that Leah put on a tough act but that she relied heavily on Seth to keep it together. I knew that Embry often wondered what his father was like, or even who is father was. I knew how scared Sam was when he first phased. We never brought up these things; it was like an unspoken agreement.

"I'm gonna go for a run before the meeting starts. You guys make yourselves at home, Billy is out tonight." I told the pack.

"Gonna run off the tension eh Jake?" Jared winked at me. He was the only one who knew what had happened down at the beach but I knew that that wouldn't last for long. I gave him the finger before running towards the woods.

He was right though. I definitely needed to cool off. The whole incident on the beach had gotten me hot. Not that it took much, but I had never felt this much heat between Bella and myself. I smiled to myself as I ran through the trees, exploding into a great ball of fur. As much as I resented my destiny sometimes, it _was_ pretty cool to be a wolf. The feeling of running so impossibly fast, with so much agility…it was freeing. I wove in and out of the pine trees, following my favourite route, the scent filling my nose as I brushed past the foliage.

It was nice to just be able to run, not have to be on patrol. Our nightly patrols had increased dramatically since the incidents in Olympia and I knew that this upcoming meeting was going to be a long one. There was too much to discuss. Not only did we have to fend off vampires, we had to manage the tribe. It was times like these that I was glad Sam was the leader and not myself. He made the smart decisions and I just wasn't ready to think as pragmatically as him.

* * *

I was speeding through the forest when I stopped. Vampire. I knew this one too. It was one of _them_. One of the females. What were they doing back here? I quietened my footsteps to prevent from being noticed. The leech was too preoccupied with something to notice me. I stood still for a few minutes until she came into my view, watching her…pick flowers? What the hell was that Cullen doing back here? She hummed to herself as she continued to pick the bluebells. They were supposed to have gone. What were they playing at? I remembered that she was the one that was Bella's friend…Alice. She was the one that had told Bella that Edward was trying to kill himself. If it hadn't been for her showing up Bella and I would have been…

I growled unexpectedly, causing her to straighten up. She stood still for a moment but I could see her eyes darting around.

"I'm not on your land werewolf." She spoke calmly. I decided to phase back and slipped on my shorts. "Jacob." She stated as I climbed out from behind the bushes.

"Alice." I stared fixedly at her. "What are you doing here?"

"Bella's back."

"So?" I responded, my eyes boring into hers. "She's back. Why are you?"

"She's my friend."

"Are the rest of you here?" I snapped, cutting to the chase. She shook her head vigorously, understanding my meaning.

"We're not coming back."

"Where is he?" My voice let out a rumble. "Because if he shows up, I will rip him to pieces."

"I can't control where he goes Jacob." Alice said. She tugged on her hair anxiously.

"He's here isn't he?" I cried and began to shake.

"He's not." But she added, "He might come though. He'll be able to hear my thoughts if he is nearby and know that she's here." I took in a few deep breaths to calm myself.

"You have to leave."

"Why?" she retorted. "Bella is my friend. I can see her if I want."

"You've messed everything up by being here." I said, ignoring her words. "She doesn't want to be with him and she doesn't want to see _you_ either."

"You're lying." She pointed her finger at me.

"She told me. She's so hurt that you didn't try to contact her, that you left without saying goodbye." I ran my hand through my hair. "Just go Alice. Please." I relaxed my mouth. Out of all the leeches, she was probably the most bearable. Her boyfriend wasn't that bad either. If they had been human I wouldn't say no to hanging out with either of them. Edward was another story though. Stupid jerk.

"Jacob, please try to understand, I love Bella. I would never want to see her hurt. I want to apologise to her." She kept tugging at her hair as she said this.

"If I see him here, I will rip him to pieces." I hissed.

"Like I said I can't guarantee anything Jacob." She pleaded. I could feel myself getting hotter.

"Then get lost. If you can't keep him away then you have to leave. Consider yourself warned. Now go away. I can't stand your stench." Alice flashed me a dangerous look but slumped her shoulders.

"You can't threaten me into leaving you know. I'll be back later. If keeping Edward away is what you need me to do so that I can see Bella then I will. Bye dog." She whizzed past me as she left the clearing.

* * *

I phased back and ran home, my mind stuck on Alice. I had to get Bella away from Forks for a few days, just until I was sure that he wasn't anywhere near here. I didn't know what my deal with him was. Oh wait, he was a misogynistic asshole who thought he owned the world. I hurried back and took a hot shower before the rest arrived. I knew that this meeting was going to be a big one. We had come across too many questions, with nothing providing any leads to anything. It was frustrating to say the least. And I had a hell of a lot of schoolwork on top of that. School had become much less of a priority much to my dad's dismay. I was gonna have to try harder to keep my grades up. Usually I was pretty good when it came to school; it took me half the time as anyone else to get something done. But surviving on three or four hours of sleep a night was finally getting to me. I had also cut down my shifts at the mechanic. I turned off the water and slipped into a pair of track pants before walking out the back of the house.

"Yo Jake, long shower." Quil called. He was standing beneath a large tree. I merely shrugged.

"You got some hectic peaches up here!" called a voice from what I assumed was high up in the tree. "I'm throwing a few down Quil!" A few peaches were hurtled down within a second, Quil just managing to catch all of them. Okay, so speed and agility were definitely a plus in the whole being a werewolf thing. "Paul and Jared will be here any second." Embry said as he climbed back down to the ground and sure enough, they were.

"Jake, you got any food?" Jared asked as he opened the refrigerator. Paul got started on making a fire outside and I made my way over to help.

"Bella coming over later?" He asked after ten minutes.

"Yeah hopefully."

"Must be nice not having to share her with those bloodsuckers anymore." I tensed up. I had almost forgotten about Alice's visit. I continued to fiddle with the firewood as we let the fire grow.

"Mhmm."

I don't know why I was getting so worked up over this. The Cullens weren't even back and I was acting as though I was a loser in some competition. In the back of my mind I wondered if Bella would go back to them if they did return. She clearly broke up with Edward for a reason but that didn't help the fact that he would do anything to be a part of her life. He always said that he wanted her to be happy but until he saw that she was happy with me, he would no doubt continue to pursue her. Speaking of which, what was taking Bella so long to realise she was in love with me? I felt like such a whiny teenager but I was getting a little impatient with her bouts of self-pity. She figured she was so hopeless that she wasn't good for anyone. Sometimes I felt sorry what all that she had been through but other times it just got on my nerves. This was definitely one of those times. It didn't help that everything with us was so up in the air.

"Sam's here." Paul announced.

We sat around the fire, discussing our latest findings. Two hours passed.

"Fifteen attacks in the last three weeks. That's nuts."

"Might be nuts Embry but we have to find out what's going on. I mean, they're all leeches, much like the newborns we fought a couple of years ago."

"But who else other than us would be killing them off?" I asked Sam.

"Your guess is as good as mine Jake." He turned to face me. "We need to double our efforts if we are going to catch who's killing all the vampires. Personally, I'm glad they're doing it but we need to know what reasons they're doing it under." Everyone nodded at his words.

"I think we should patrol closer to Olympia, maybe spend a couple of nights there." Leah spoke up. I rubbed my temples. This was getting to be too much.

"Leah's right. If we get closer to the problem we can suss out what exactly is happening. A couple of patrols around Olympia every now and then is not going to cut it." Jared rolled his eyes at me, a gesture that did not go unnoticed by Sam.

"How are we going to split up patrols? I don't understand what's going to happen." Seth murmured.

"Right. This is how it's going to work. The next two weeks we'll send two pairs every night to Olympia while the rest patrol around the routes we've been following so far. I want reports back every night detailing every single thing you see, hear or smell. We need every slice of information we can get." There was a collective groan, I was sure everyone was thinking about everything else that was already on their plate. "I know you guys have got school and everything, but this is way more important than that."

"You're totally right Sam!" Seth chimed before Embry threw a chair at him.

"So this is going to be the divide: Paul and Jake, Embry and Leah, Quil and Jared and Seth and myself. You'll notice I haven't made the split like we usually do our patrols. I want you to work with someone who will be likely to pick up the things that you miss. We can't have a pair making a mistake because they were too busy arguing over which chick in their English class is hotter." Sam glanced at Quil and Embry who both turned bright shades of red. "Sound okay? Good. I think we're done here for now then. Take tonight off, I'll come by and let you know what will be happening tomorrow. I suggest you all get a good night sleep."

Everyone started getting up.

"Jake?" Sam pulled me aside. "I think you, Paul, Seth and I should head down to Olympia tomorrow night and the following few." I knew this was coming. I was hoping I could take it easy the first few nights but it was just my luck that I would be pulling the short straw. Sam did not seem to notice my disappointment, or if he did, he said nothing about it.

After the pack had left, I tried to catch a nap before Bella and Charlie came over but I couldn't get any sort of rest. There was too much racing through my mind. It had been such a long day and all I basically got from it was a whole lot of frustration. I tried going for a run outside but it did me no good.

I thought I had seen flashes of short, cropped hair darting around in the distance while I was out in the woods but chalked it up to the slow deterioration of my sanity. Eventually I just sat back down on my couch. Minutes passed but I couldn't be sure that I hadn't seen her. I walked to the front door again to do one more round of woods when I opened the door to Bella. I tried making some sort of small talk but my mind was elsewhere. We sat on the couch together while I tried to get my thoughts in order.

It only occurred to me then. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of asking that pixie vampire if she knew anything about Olympia! She could see the future and stuff couldn't she?

"Fuck!" I had to go find her. If she was still hanging around then maybe I could catch her.

"What?" Bella cried getting to her feet.

"I forgot something. Hang on Bells, I'll be right back." I sprinted out the door before she could say a word.

Many minutes later and nothing. She was nowhere near La Push or Forks. I was left feeling more frustrated than ever.

* * *

_**A/N: Poor Jake, can't catch a break!**_

_**So what did you think? Next chapter is going to be back from Bella's point of view. Do you think I should do a few more Jacob POVs in future chapters? Do you think the story is going somewhere? ****Next chapter will have a bit more action I promise (and will be updated much sooner than this one was)! Review review review and let me know your thoughts/ideas!**_


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